


How I Met You

by thecolourgrey



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Romance, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23864911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecolourgrey/pseuds/thecolourgrey
Summary: Lucy is a student at a university in Magnolia, where she studies English as a graduate student. In her department is a certain flame-haired man who TAs for one of her professors, Makarov Dreyar. Originally, she can't stand him--but as time goes by and she closes in on her masters degree and the rest of her future, she finds her feelings begin to change.*in progress*
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Kudos: 8





	How I Met You

It was the morning of a cold day in late November.

It was her second year of graduate school at Fairy Tail University. This knowledge bit at her, almost as much as the cold wind nipped at her heels as she wandered across the snowy campus. She was twenty-three now, having just had a birthday only a week prior. As much as she loved university--and her friends--she couldn't hide from the fact that it was almost over. Nor could she hide from the fact that, while incredibly happy with the way she was living her life, it appeared that everyone else was moving on. Several of her friends were engaged to be married, others expecting. All moving on.

Sometimes she wished the world could stand still for a while. She didn't mind change, but she didn't like when everything changed all at once.

Her nose shone red as she stepped out of the cold air into the heated building where her creative literature class was held. She didn't like the cold. It always made her nose run--not a pretty sight by any means--and her eyes water. Not only that, but it meant that she couldn't wear the clothes that she felt the most comfortable in, and therefore the most confident.

She could hear her friends before she saw them. Gray, always the loud one, who loved the cold and even more so loved going shirtless in it (he claimed that he loved the feeling of snow on his back, but with abs like his, who was he kidding?). Freed, who always dressed so in character--except you could never quite tell what character he was trying to be. Levy, whose nose was always buried so deeply in the books that it was astounding that she ever finished an assignment.

"Hello loves!" She greeted them cheerfully, smiling ear-to-ear.

"Hey!" The chorus rang back at her, with Levy actually looking up to meet her eyes and smile.

"I hear we have a new TA starting today?" Lucy asked, a method of starting a conversation that was merely surface level. She didn't get involved in long, technical conversations unless they were literature related. Her friends all had such unique personalities that it was a struggle to keep up with them all, so she didn't even try. In return, they loved her louder--because Lucy, whether or not the world considered her interesting, was kind. 

"Yeah. He got kicked out of another professor's office for starting a fight with a student, I heard," Levy commented. 

"I heard he started a fight with the professor himself!" Gray chimed in.

"I'm sure it's all gossip," Freed mused, busying himself with a textbook of ancient languages.

Lucy moved to reply, setting her books down beside her friends, but before she could, the classroom door slammed open.

The figure standing there was daunting; taller than anyone she'd met before, flame-haired, with a knowing smirk on his lips and eyes that peered right through her as his gaze washed over her. She found herself wrinkling her nose in reply, breaking his gaze and sitting down. _What an arrogant look,_ she grumbled internally. _He's the new TA--he's got to be. He doesn't seem like the type that Professor Makarov would look kindly on, but I've been wrong before._

The professor was there, then, breaking into her reverie. "Class. Today we have the pleasure of a new TA--Natsu, please come join me." The flame-haired youth grinned again, openly, and moved to stand by the professor's side where Lucy could no longer avoid his gaze. He was dressed in the most inappropriate of ways for a professional class--loose white pants, a casual vest and a simple scarf wrapped round his neck. Lucy was nothing but obedient to the rules and people who openly flaunted their disregard for societal expectations frustrated her. Still, she kept her lips tightly pursed and focused on the professor's voice.

"...joining us for the remainder of the year. He is a transfer from the other languages department. I was in need of an assistant to grade all your lengthy, but excellent, papers. Please welcome him to the class as you would another transfer. I'm sure he is as interested in getting to know you all as you are, him. Now, Natsu take a seat wherever you'd like. We'll be starting on the Dickensian piece we were discussing yesterday. Please open your books to page 156..." his voice droned on, but Lucy had lost her focus.

The new TA--Natsu, was it?--had just seated himself next to her.

"Hey," he whispered. "What's your name?"

"Lucy," she muttered back, trying to focus on the professor.

"Lucy what?"

"Heartfilia."

"Serious student, huh?"

"Unlike you."

Natsu grinned. "Now how do you know what I'm like already?"

"I've seen plenty of your type before."

"Now who says I'm anything like that?"

"Who says you aren't?" she replied cheekily, finally breaking her concentration to look back at him. It was useless to avoid it; he was simply too distracting. She would simply have to read Levy's notes later. However, if she indulged him in this first class, he might leave her alone later.

"Who, indeed." He agreed, leaning back with his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk. "What are you up to later? Feel like introducing me to some of your friends?"

"Not particularly, no," she sniffed.

"Fair enough. I'm simply just going to have to learn about you in another way."

"Good luck trying."

He shrugged, the effervescent grin never once leaving his face. "Doesn't bother me either way. You play a cold game, Miss Lucy."

"I'm not cold."

"You could have fooled me. No matter. I'll find you out one way or another."

She couldn't dignify his last remark with a response. Instead, she sniffed again, turning back to the professor and her notes. The flame-haired man didn't bother her for the rest of the lesson, but the electricity on the back of her neck signaled something else.

He had never taken his eyes off of her.

She stood to leave at the end of the class, refusing to look down at him. 

"Miss Lucy!" 

Both she and Levy turned to acknowledge it, almost unconsciously.

"I like a challenge." Natsu smirked, nodded at Levy, and disappeared down the corridor.


End file.
